Liz Twist MP: speeches

Speeches

• 19 Mar 2026 · Pre-1997 Pensions: Discretionary Increases · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour on securing this debate and raising this issue. He will have constituents, as I do, who have been writing to us on this issue and feel very strongly that an injustice has been done.

• 19 Mar 2026 · Online Harms · Hansard source

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  I congratulate the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire (Ian Sollom) on securing the debate and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. Facing harm online is one of the biggest struggles that our young people face daily, from toxic influencers trying to push a certain way of life or ideology to those who encourage eating disorders. However, social harms extend a long way beyond that, from aggressive algorithms designed so that young people get addicted and trapped online, to forums encouraging self-harm and suicide. Many hon. Members will be aware that I have been raising this issue in this place over a number of years. Earlier this month, I chaired a roundtable with the Mental Health Foundation to look at the evidence about the banning of social media for under-16s. As it happened, it took place on the same day that the consultation was launched, and I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for attending our meeting. We heard from mental health experts, affected parents, the Minister and young people themselves. While views on “how” we should protect young people are diverse, the consensus on the “now” was absolute. There is disagreement about whether an absolute social media ban for the under-16s is the right answer. Should we have a more nuanced approach where we look at a wider range of issues such as the architecture of social media platforms? Following the consultation, the Government must design any proposed policy alongside young people. We will not find an effective solution without including the young people who operate in this world and who are most affected, and we must look to social media companies to start getting their act together and protecting people. The links between young people using social media and increasing levels of loneliness and poor mental health are well documented. We have a youth mental health crisis, with nearly one in five children aged eight to 16 having a probable mental health disorder. That is a staggering number. As we have heard, the Molly Rose Foundation found that 95% of recommended posts on certain teenage accounts contained content related to suicide or self-harm. As Members know, Molly Rose tragically took her own life at the age of just 14, after social media algorithms continuously served her with self-harm and depression material, which created a rabbit hole for her to go down. She saw more than 2,000 harmful posts in the last six months of her life. The rise of forums where groups encourage extreme forms of violence, self-harm, suicide, animal cruelty and political extremism, is extremely worrying. They look to target impressionable young people, pipelining sadistic and hateful ideas and content straight to them. UK law enforcement identified several cases in which perpetrators coerced girls as young as 11 into seriously harming or sexually abusing themselves, siblings or pets. These forums encourage or blackmail users into committing serious acts of self-harm or suicide. One specific pro-suicide forum has been linked to more than 135 deaths in the UK alone. That is 135 empty chairs at dinner tables. These are extreme forms of online harms, and I am glad that the National Crime Agency and international partners are taking them seriously, but do they have the powers and resources to protect young and impressionable people from serious online harm? This debate on online harms is not new. We have been talking about how to protect people from the online world over many years in this House, and there is a real danger that we are permanently running to catch up with online operators. Experts described the Online Safety Act as a ceiling for safety, not a floor. In many cases, social media companies are doing little more than their statutory duty. In December last year, not a single platform determined itself to be “high risk” for suicide or self-harm content. We cannot let companies mark their own homework. Platforms are systematically downplaying harms, and are incentivised to allow the problem to go on if advertisers still deem the platform safe. Ofcom needs to have the power to mark these companies honestly, and if they are failing, it needs to be able to act. Does the Minister believe that Ofcom has the powers that it needs to act and for that to be followed through on? Let me talk quickly about a meeting that the Molly Rose Foundation and affected parents recently had with Ofcom to highlight significant concerns, which included strengthening the Online Safety Act and extending it to cover children’s wellbeing. I am told that the meeting was very unsatisfactory. Will the Minister agree to meet with me and those parents to discuss the situation further? This is important to them; they have lost their children, and they want to do more to protect others.

• 11 Mar 2026 · Royal Mail: Universal Service Obligation · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Blyth and Ashington (Ian Lavery) for asking this urgent question because, as he will know, too many constituents are suffering this situation. When this first started, I asked Royal Mail why it was happening. I got polite replies, but frankly, at this stage, fine words butter no parsnips. We really need some action. May I urge the Minister to push Ofcom to take action on this issue?

• 9 Mar 2026 · Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill · Hansard source

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  Will the shadow Secretary of State give way?

• 5 Mar 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Earlier this morning, I joined Samaritans at Waterloo station for the launch of its “Small Talk Saves Lives” campaign, which encourages people to start simple conversations with those who look as though they may be in distress. Can we have a debate in Government time on the importance of mental health campaigning in helping to save lives across the UK?

• 26 Feb 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Transform Trade is a remarkable charity that promotes Fairtrade produce and supports producers and workers across the world, ensuring that trade is fair and respects both people and the planet. Founded in Gateshead as Traidcraft in 1986, the organisation will this year celebrate its 40th anniversary of campaigning for a fairer global trade system. Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating it on 40 years of vital work and allow a debate in Government time about tackling trade exploitation and poverty?

• 5 Feb 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  Yes, of course. I believe that that is an important factor in setting speed limits, and it is certainly something that affects my constituents as well as those of the hon. Lady. There are also other places where we must take account of speed limits. I want to speak briefly about one particular aspect of road safety that was raised with me by my constituents, John and Karen Rowlands, who lost their son Andrew in a road collision in 2020. The driver of the car was underage, uninsured and unlicensed. Sadly, that situation is all too common, and families are left to pick up the pieces, while dealing with unimaginable grief, due to the fact that the laws of our roads, and those affecting vehicles, have not kept up with changing times. Right now in the UK, car insurance costs £562 a year on average, while the penalty for being caught driving without insurance is only £300. The mismatch is simply outrageous. I welcome the announcement in the road safety strategy that the Government will look again at tougher action against those who choose to drive unlicensed or without insurance, and those with no MOT. A stronger deterrent will help to stop such unlawful practices, and go some way towards preventing further tragedies like Andrew’s. I believe, as do the Rowlands family, that to improve road safety we must also look at car ownership. Although the correct checks are in place within the car dealership industry, it is simply too easy to buy a car online, with no prior checks taking place on the person purchasing the vehicle or on the vehicle itself. While the deterrent of tougher action is welcome, that loophole still has the potential to cause irreparable harm on our roads. Online car sales are linked to crime, allow unsafe vehicles to remain in circulation, and enable people who do not have a licence to purchase and use cars on our roads. I welcome the fact that the Minister has met the Rowlands family, and will be doing so again shortly.

• 5 Feb 2026 · Road Safety · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) on securing this important debate and thank the Backbench Business Committee for allowing it. With over 1,624 people killed in collisions on our roads in 2023, something simply needs to change, and today that has come to the forefront. I welcome the Government’s announcement of a new road safety strategy, which is much needed and has the potential to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 65%. The proposals in the road safety strategy will address a number of issues that my constituents raise with me regularly, particularly the new guidance on local speed limits and enforcement. The issues of speeding and unsafe junctions routinely come up in my constituency work, and they directly affect constituents, whether it is speeding on Lead Road in Greenside, through the village of Dipton, or along the A694, where residents in Ebchester have been campaigning for safer road crossings and better speed enforcement. These issues plague the daily lives of my constituents and cause real concern, so it is welcome that the road safety strategy will look at them. It would be great to know how residents can have a greater and more meaningful say on the concerns they have about the roads in their communities.

• 29 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  I recently had the pleasure of visiting St Mary’s Catholic primary school in Blackhill to learn about its Solar for Schools project, and the children were really engaged in learning about solar power and saving energy. This is funded by Great British Energy and the Government through the Solar for Schools project. Can we have a debate in Government time to talk about the importance of extending such projects?

• 29 Jan 2026 · Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  14. What steps he is taking to implement the modern industrial strategy.

• 29 Jan 2026 · Modern Industrial Strategy · Hansard source

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  For 14 years under the last Government, my constituents’ living standards stagnated. Across Blaydon and Consett, we have many successful manufacturing and engineering firms such as Slaters Electricals and Petersen Stainless Rigging in Blaydon, Gardner Aerospace and CAV Systems in Consett, and many more. Can my hon. Friend set out how our modern industrial strategy will support businesses in my constituency to raise living standards for my constituents?

• 29 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T3. When shifts are cancelled at the last minute, too many of my constituents struggle to get by. That is why protections introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 are so important. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that all workers can access those rights, including a contract that reflects their regular working hours and compensation for cancelled shifts?

• 29 Jan 2026 · Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report · Hansard source

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  I should declare an interest as a 1950s-born woman. This is a disappointing statement, and I can only associate myself with the remarks made by my hon. Friend the Member for Brent West (Barry Gardiner), which I do not always do. I take the opportunity to thank all the WASPI women who have been campaigning and working so hard on this issue with many of us. How has this decision been communicated to the WASPI group?

• 15 Jan 2026 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Next Monday is Brew Monday, which Samaritans has reclaimed from the marketing myth that is blue Monday, when we are all miserable. May I invite the Leader of the House, all hon. Members and of course you, Madam Deputy Speaker, to join me and Samaritans in the Jubilee Room for a chat, a cuppa and to meet Samaritans and learn about their work? May we have a debate in Government time on the importance of talking with and listening to other people?

• 14 Jan 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  6. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Scotland.

• 14 Jan 2026 · Economic Growth · Hansard source

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  Buses are hugely important to our communities and our transport network, so it is vital that Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis Ltd and its supply chain, including Dellner Glass in Consett in my constituency, are supported. It has taken the SNP First Minister over a year to recognise that. Can the Secretary of State set out how he is working with other Departments to ensure that jobs and the company not only survive, but thrive?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  T10. The recovery grant guarantee is a vital mechanism that protects the most deprived authorities. Will the Department commit to increasing the guarantee to match the national average core spending power increase, so that the areas that need funding most are fairly protected?

• 12 Jan 2026 · Social and Affordable Homes: Blaydon and Consett · Hansard source

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  6. What steps he is taking to build more social and affordable homes in Blaydon and Consett constituency.

• 12 Jan 2026 · Social and Affordable Homes: Blaydon and Consett · Hansard source

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  I am glad to see the Government focusing so much on building social housing, including some in my constituency, but it will also be important to maintain the stock once it has been built and to look at existing stock. Can the Minister say when the issue of rent convergence will be resolved?

• 8 Jan 2026 · Road Safety Strategy · Hansard source

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  I very much welcome the proposals in the strategy, which I have no doubt will save lives. May I thank the Minister for her statement on pavement parking earlier today? Many of us have raised that issue over many years. I am particularly pleased to see moves to crack down on unlicensed and uninsured drivers. The Minister will remember that she kindly met my constituents John and Karen Rowlands last year to talk about the death of their son Andrew. As the Minister knows, they want to see better oversight of insurance and licensing, especially in relation to car sales on social media. Would she welcome further representations on this issue as part of the consultation?

• 17 Dec 2025 · Engagements · Hansard source

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  Q5. In 2020, my constituents John and Karen Rowlands lost their son Andrew in a road collision. He was just 18 years old and a passenger. Like too many others, the driver of the car should never have been on the road. He was under age, unlicensed and uninsured, and he bought the car on social media using cash. Can the Prime Minister tell me how bereaved families like the Rowlands can have a meaningful say on our road safety strategy to ensure that the right checks are in place to prevent future tragedies?

• 11 Dec 2025 · Fairtrade Certification · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for securing this debate. Through their pioneering work, the Fairtrade movement and other organisations, such as Transform Trade, have demonstrated that we can have a real impact on human rights abuses and working conditions abroad by upholding standards in our own supply chains. Does he agree that we should work with big companies to incentivise best practice and transparency, protecting small and ethical businesses in the process?

• 11 Dec 2025 · Topical Questions · Hansard source

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  Earlier this year, 150,000 workers across the north-east benefited from the increase in the national minimum wage, with another increase due in April as a result of the Budget. However, it is important that these increases are actually applied, so the Minister set out what steps she is taking to ensure that employers comply?

• 11 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  Right across my constituency, the decorations are up, the lights have been switched on and Christmas fairs have been in full swing. As we head towards Christmas, I would like to thank all the staff and volunteers who make these festivities happen and keep our communities thriving throughout the season. May we have a debate in Government time on what we can do as a House to recognise the value of their huge contribution?

• 4 Dec 2025 · Business of the House · Hansard source

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  It has been five years since the Cumberlege report shone a light on a shocking patient safety scandal. Last year, the Hughes report set out redress options for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Many of the affected individuals have faced complex, lifelong challenges, which have been compounded by the delays they have faced in getting support. Can we have a debate in Government time about what steps we can take to put the findings into action and provide the recognition and compensation that patients need?